Panel for radio or television cabinet



June 12, 1956 J, A. MaclNTYRE PANEL FOR RADIO OR TELEVISION CABINETFiled Feb A 1' TORNEY s.

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United States Patent O PANEL FOR RADIO R TELEVISION CABINET John A. MacIntyre, Barrington, R. L, assignor to B & M Mills, Inc., a corporationof Rhode Island Application February 8, 1954, Serial No. 408,770

2 Claims. (Cl. 312-7) This invention relates to a decorative panel,particularly a panel for the grill opening in a television, radio, andthe like cabinet.

In the present styling of cabinets of the above character, the soundingboard of the speaker unit extends across the grill opening in a sidewall of the cabinet, and it is usual to stretch a decorative textilefabric across the opening in front of the sounding board. In manystylings a grill work is positioned across the opening in front of thefabric with a view to enhance the appearance of the cabinet.

An object of the invention is to provide a louver formation and yetobtain a textile like decorative panel for the grill opening of acabinet.

Another object is to provide a sound absorbing and yet a decorativepanel unit for a grill opening of a cabinet.

A more specific object is to provide a decorative panel in which thesounding board of the speaker unit will be hidden from view by louverboards having a sound absorbing cover thereon.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction as will be more fully described andparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a television cabinet and the likeembodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the panel of the grill openingof the cabinet illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along lines 3-3 ofFigure 1 and shown on a larger scale;

Figure 4 is a cross section of a louver board;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 2 illustrating a modifiedstructure; and

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken along line 66 of Figure 5.

In carrying out my invention, I provide for closing the grill opening ofa television cabinet or like cabinet in a manner to produce a decorativeeffect as well as to improve the acoustic properties of the panel. Tothis end, I arrange to provide a louver opening for the speaker unit andembellish the louver boards by a textile fabric covering the louverboards which has decorative properties which may be provided by a choiceof weaves or fabrics having particular textile properties.

Referring to the drawings for a more detailed description of theinvention, 10 designates a television cabinet having a so-called grillopening 11 in the lower portion of the front wall and which has adecorative panel 12 extending across the opening. In accordance with oneembodiment of the invention, the panel 12 may be conveniently made as aunit and comprises an open frame 13 made sufficiently larger thanopening 11 to extend across the same and overlap the wall portions atthe edges of the opening. A rabbit 14 (see Figure 3) may be formed aboutthe opening 11 to receive the frame 13. A sounding board 15 made of asuitable material and having a central opening 16 therethrough issecured to the rear side of the frame 13 in an appropriate manner as byway of example an adhesive supplemented by fastening screws 16.

In one adaptation (see Figures 1-4) a plurality of "ice equally spacedlouver boards 17 are positioned to extend horizontally in partlyoverlapping echelon relation across the frame in front of the soundingboard 15. These louver boards extend inwardly from the rear edge of theframe on a downward slant at approximately 30 degrees to the vertical,and these ends are received in grooves 1% formed in the vertical sideportions 19, 20 of the frame 13 and extending inwardly from the rearedge of the frame to adjacent the front edge of the frame. Each louverboard 17 is similar to another and has a cover of a textile woven fabric22 which may be attached in place as at 23 by an adhesive or othersuitable fastening. Each louver board may be secured to the walls of thegrooves by frictional contact therewith and the textile material will besomewhat compressed and will resiliently press against the oppositewalls of the grooves 18.

In Figures 5 and 6 I have shown a different arrangement wherein thelouver boards 17 extend in a vertical direction on each side of acentrally disposed divisional board 24 which is received at its ends ingroove 24 in the horizontal members of the frame 13. The louver boards17 are similar to the louver boards 1'7 and are also covered in asimilar manner with a textile woven fabric 22 and are fractionallyreceived in grooves 13'. The louver boards on the left of the board 24slant towards the left at approximately 45 degrees to the sounding board15' and the louver boards on the right of board 24 slant towards theright at approximately 45 degrees to the sounding board 15'.

The complete decorative panel unit is adapted to be readily received inthe rabbit 14 and attached to the Walls thereof in an appropriate manner(not shown) and the speaker unit frame 25 may be attached about theedges of the opening 16 as by means of screws 26. Referring to Figure 3,it will be seen that the louver boards completely hide the soundingboard and the spaces between the louver boards are open to opening 16 sothat the sounds from the speaker unit may be emitted through saidspaces.

It will now be apparent that I have disclosed an ornamental panel for agrill opening in a cabinet which may be conveniently made in unit formand which is adapted to mass production, thus providing a comparativesaving in cost of assembling.

I claim:

1. A cabinet having an opening extending through one side wall thereof,an open frame about said opening, said frame having a plurality ofequally spaced grooves therein at opposite sides thereof, said groovesextending inwardly on a slant from one side of said frame, a pluralityof louver boards extending across said frame with the ends of saidlouver boards being received in said grooves, a sounding board extendingacross the frame covering the open ends of said slots to secure thelouver boards in said grooves, each of said louver boards being enclosedin a textile fabric covering.

2. A cabinet according to claim 1 wherein a centrally disposed boardextends across said frame, and said grooves on one side of saidcentrally disposed board are slanted in one direction, and the grooveson the other side of said centrally disposed board are slanted in theother direction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,151,931 Fair Aug. 3, 1915 2,002,390 Crosley May 25, 1935 2,325,003Bcckwith July 20, 1943 2,413,922 Jensen Jan. 7, 1947 2,503,635 RiethApr. 11, 1950 2,511,917 Hornor June 20, 1950 2,580,916 Hodge Jan. 1,1952 2,590,204 Phillips Mar. 25, 1952

